Closure

The master of ceremonies is tapping his watch and pointing to the sky, so I'll be brief or at least less expansive than usual. Stop cheering, I am not done yet.

"The truth shall set you free, but first it will make you miserable." -- James A. Garfield, 20th US President

It's been a good year and all. I've completed my formal studies (for now), entered the Working Life (TM Satan), and did a lot of self-exploration which led me to the epiphany of "People Are Strange". I've a mind to trademark that quote, but probably it's not as original as I like to imagine, so I'll bank on "This is Sweden; I am male; it should not be a surprise," becoming a money spinner.

"There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the present moment. A man's whole life is a succession of moment after moment. If one fully understands the present moment, there will be nothing else to do, and nothing else to pursue." -- Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure (The Book Of The Samurai)

My list of resolutions for 2008 is nice and short: "Live each day of your life as if it were your last". What does that imply? That we should sit staring at oblivion as it approaches, or seek refuge in hedonism? Nah... I'd rather say it means that we have nothing to lose and everything to gain by making the most of what we have and by not being sad if we don't get what we want.

The person who will be my inspiration for 2008 is Randy Pausch. In his last speech, he shared some useful credos for life, for example: "Never lose the childlike wonder: it's just too important and what drives us."

I agree with that; it's not enough to be analytical and critical, we should appreciate the finer things and the small, good moments and things which would slip past unnoticed. But the flip side is also true: we can't just chase the illusions all the time, because then we become a slaves to a lie.

How much is enough? Apparently, a combination of the following:

• MasterCard, a successful career, 2.4 kids and fluffy white lapdog.


• A blinged-up Humvee to go with the smashed-up Ferrari.


• Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo and Armani in the walk-in closet, and servants being payed a pittance - at least we make sure it's always more than they would get elsewhere, because we're the caring kind.

Self-justification, denial and self-deception are what will keep us mediocre and stagnating and crush mankind's dream of eventually being more than just surviving as flesh automata.

It's midnight now, and the fireworks are really crazy - the whole skyline around me is alive with colour as Stockholm suburbia celebrates existence. Beautiful, but I still can't shake the image of a bunch of ants waving their feelers going "yeeEE" and clinking glasses, not seeing or ignoring the asteroids which go whooshing past (or being aware of the pimply-faced kid with the magnifying glass approaching).

Ah, I know why. *corrects the machine state, alcoholically*

Cheers to the good people - I'll see some of you soon.